SOP: The End

I finally did the closet, even though it was still quite hot here. (Depressing = trying on a favorite vintage dress that won't zip and then getting semi-stuck in it due to sweatiness. Ah yes, good times.)

Vintage stuff is draped over the chair; I'm trying to figure out whether to try to sell it in my Etsy shop or donate; the bags on the floor are being donated to a rummage sale being held by the Helen Woodward Animal Center, where Miss Tallulah Mae--see her in the chair back there?--came from.

The Summer of Productivity has officially come to an end! I'm pleased with the results, but of course, there is much more to do...

SOP: Week Nine

MUCH better, yes? Click here for before photo. It's subtle, but it's better, and it's much more logically organized now. Makes packing Etsy (which I HATE, even though I have the cutest packing department ever, Mr. B.) easier.

This week, which will be the last of the SOP--Labor Day, after all; wow how did THAT happen?--we will revisit the closet clean-out/clean-up. I'm determined!

SOP: Week Eight

 Oh no! Still no closet clean-out...too HOT! The sun, it is scorching--see that flower up there, about to burst into flames.

 I just can't try on clothes, including wool dresses, sweaters, etc., when it is eleventy-billion degrees...I just can't. So, postponed once again, alas.

So let's try this: this is the area where I pack Etsy stuff--the little wooden thing on the right holds business cards, etc.; the messy area in the middle is cello bags that I put pattern in (also some ribbon mess there too); the little drawers hold thank-you gifts (hankies if you spend over a certain amount). Tidying ahoy!

SOP: Week Seven

Tallulah Mae is looking at me with disappointment.*

EPIC FAIL! I did not accomplish this week's set task (my closet). Too darn hot to try on clothes (many of which are too small, I suspect). So, no. I did do some more work in my pattern area, so I was a wee bit productive.

So this week's task is a repeat: the closet. 

*Actually, that's her patented "What?" look. She's so patient with me and my camera...sweet girl, kiss kiss!

SOP Week Six

 The bulletin board! Looks a million times better, yes? I'm quite pleased.

It was like an archaeological dig to remove everything from it. Here it was before (scroll down to bottom of post).

 

And now!

Next up: my side of the closet. No before pix (you really DON'T need to see it!), but hopefully next Sunday I will have bags o' donations to show you.

SOP Week 5

I'm a week behind: this was the Week Three challenge. This area looks better! Here it was before...

The unwanted patterns are now sorted into complete and removed from Etsy inventory; incomplete; and not counted but unwanted. Next, I'm going to pull some of them out and give them to someone who wants them (hi, Miss D.!).

I'm behind in part because I had some actual editing work this past week. Now onward to last week's challenge, which has become this week's challenge: we'll revisit cleaning up the bulletin board.

SOP: Week Four

 I did tidy up the pattern area, but only tidied (rather than sort and dispose of--so we'll come back to that later). We bought a cool old wire display rack at an estate sale on Saturday, so the pic above...

 ...was transformed to this picture: all of my trugs and clay pots are on the cute-o rack! I love it!

This is the view from the outside of the potting shed.

This week: my bulletin/inspiration board. I kinda love it all cluttered, but it's over the top...stuff falls off frequently. It needs to be refreshed, methinks...

SOP: Week Three

Well, as predicted, I was busy this week with preparations for our houseguest--where is that robot housekeeper like the Jetsons had?! It's 2012, people!--and then enjoying her company. I'm not even sure I did ANY photo sorting...oh, well.

Next up: this little mess o' patterns in the garage. Etsy pattern storage is a problem: I have, um, some patterns. This area is adjacent to where the listed patterns are stored. This pile is a mix of patterns that are incomplete (so I can't list them) and patterns that just have had no action on Etsy and are being removed from inventory. It's a conundrum, because I don't quite know what to do with them all. I believe many thrift stores throw sewing patterns away, and that would make me sad! In the meantime, they need to not be lying about willy-nilly, don't you agree?

SOP: Week Two

Here's the "after" shot of my paper area (well, ONE of my paper areas!)

Yay! Click here to see last week's "before" shot (I'm trying to save Picasa space...I'm starting to reach my limit, so I ask you to please click back to see the "before.") During this process, I came to quite a realization: I do NOT have to save every scrap of paper that comes my way. Wow! What a revelation...

We have a house guest coming this week (Woot woot! Hi, Miss D.!) , in part due to the wonder that is Comic-Con, although I don't partake--I have been once, and it was way cool, but that was enough for this gal--so I won't have time for a project this week. However, I am on an ongoing quest to clean up the  incredible mess seen above: the photo files on my computer.

It may not surprise you to learn that I take a LOT of photos...for every photo of Tallulah Mae that you see here, there are 10 others, for example. Ahem. And I just dump them onto the computer without organizing them. Until NOW! Now I"m grouping them in logical files...I'm in 2009, y'all! This is obviously more than a week's worth of work, so we'll check back at the end of the summer to see how I'm doing.

So far, so good!

SOP: Week One

 Week One: The desk. Yikes.

BEFORE: I will note that some of the mess to the right of the desk is not mine. The rest of it is, though! Or should I say "was"?

 There IS a desk under there somewhere, under the papers and linen for embroidery and toy sewing machines and bags and whatnot.

 AFTER.

Yay! And it took me a long time because I actually filed and sorted, not just tucked stuff away. As often happens if you let things sit around in piles, much of it was no longer relevant/had expired/was in the "why was I saving this?" category. The bin in front of the desk and the carryall at left side are Etsy merch. The carryall is things listed that need to go into storage in the garage; in the bin in front are things photographed but not yet listed. The Etsy business means a lot more potential for clutter...which means I SHOULD be working extra diligently to make sure it doesn't accumulate.

Week Two challenge: this collection of paper. I adore paper of all sorts and keep bits of it for this and that. This pile o' paper does get used, but it is no longer organized at all. Week Two's challenge should be much easier...I think! 

New Feature: SOP

I'm starting a new feature here at Foziewisp: I've dubbed it Summer of Productivity, or SOP. You see, I have a LOT of projects--some large, some small--that I never seem to accomplish, so I thought that if I put it out here on the blog, I might hold myself more accountable. Public shaming might work in my favor.

Here's how it will work: every Sunday I will pick a project then report back the next Sunday to see if any progress was made. Progress is the name of the game--not necessarily finishing something from start to finish, but at least doing SOMETHING...a journey of a thousand steps begins with one step etc. etc. There may be a few weeks where travel interferes, so I will cut myself some slack that week.

Because I prefer blog posts with pix, I will endeavor to illustrate a before and after (thus using up my ever-dwindling Picasa space, but oh well). If you'd like to join me and play along, feel free!

Week one: clearing off my desk and the area around it. I'm wading in...wish me luck! That rooster up there looks very concerned...

P.S. A few people wondered about the watering cans visible behind Tallulah Mae in Friday's post. Those are just a small collection of galvanized watering cans; I pick them up at sales whenever I find one for a reasonable price. We're a collecting bunch over here at Chez Foziewisp!